1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data processing apparatus, a data input control method thereof, an information processing device, and a program for implementing the method, and more particularly, to a data processing apparatus to which at least one information processing device can be connected, a data input control method thereof, the information processing device, and a program for implementing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among data processing apparatuses including an image forming apparatus such as a printer and a multifunctional printer, some of them are each provided with one or more extended slots or the like in an apparatus main body, so that a new or novel function can be easily added thereto. Each extended slot is composed of a connector provided on a controller section in the apparatus main body and a slot hole formed in a rear face of the main body. By inserting an information processing device such as an expansion card into a desired extended slot, the controller section of the data processing apparatus is connected to a controller section of the information processing device, so that a new or novel function can be added to the data processing apparatus. As examples of the expansion card, there can be mentioned “a wireless LAN card”, “a print server card”, “a USB (Universal Serial Bus) host card”, “a PDL (Page Description Language) controller card”, and so on.
As the data processing apparatus comes to have more sophisticated functions and comes to be more multifunctional by being provided with new functions, software for controlling the functions has also become complicated and large scaled. Consequently, there often have occurred cases where software upgrading is needed in order to cope with trouble due to software bugs and with the new functions.
As an example of a data processing apparatus for upgrading a software running thereon, there has been known a data processing apparatus that downloads a new software for the upgrade from a host computer on a network via a communication means. The data processing apparatus develops the downloaded software in a RAM (Random Access Memory) to rewrite software stored in a flash memory, whereby the software can be easily upgraded (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H07-314798).
Another method has been proposed in which software to be used in an engine section of a data processing apparatus is downloaded via a download port of a controller section of the apparatus (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2004-078670).
In the aforesaid conventional data processing apparatus, when an information processing device connected to a desired extended slot can be identified, the above-described methods are applicable for rewriting software used in the controller section, the engine section, and so on of the data processing apparatus in relation to the information processing device mounted thereon.
However, there are a large variety of information processing devices connectable to extended slots of such data processing apparatus, and information processing devices having a new or novel function are sometimes commercialized after commercialization of the data processing apparatus. Therefore, it is difficult to identify an information processing device connected to a desired extended slot.
Therefore, in order to download, via the data processing apparatus, software necessary for operation of a desired information processing device connected to the extended slot, the data processing apparatus is required to identify in advance downloadable software/data for use in all such information processing devices connectable to the data processing apparatus.
Furthermore, in the case of an information processing device which is mountable with information processing devices of a plurality of kinds or mounted with information processing devices made available after shipment of the data processing apparatus, it is difficult to specify which of the information processing devices is a transmission destination of download data.